Low Budget Brand Launch

‘Pelmeni’ are Russian ravioli-like pasta envelopes containing minced meat. Always with meat. Envelopes with mashed potatoes or fruits are called ‘vareniki’ and are more popular in Ukraine. The popularity of pelmeni in Russia is immense. It’s one of the most popular traditional fast food. You simply put frozen pelmeni into boiling water and in 5 minutes you get a nutritional meal. In Siberian villages people make thousands of pelmeni when the first frosts come and keep them in special leather sacks outside all the winter long. In Siberia one doesn’t need to worry that they get out of order when the average winter temperature is -20C.

For long pelmeni were regarded as commodity, such as sugar, bread or pasta. The first Russian brand of premium pelmeni that was aggressively marketed and advertised was Daria. It was introduced by Oleg Tinkov – a Russian marketing enfant terrible. He managed to boost Daria brand recognition to 40% on the budget as low as about 20 thousand dollars. The billboard ads he placed in St. Petersburg and Moscow pictured buttocks powered with flour. The inscription on the ad reads, “Your favorite little pelmeni!!!” (The www link underneath is no longer valid.) Go http://www.daria.ru/ if you want to know Daria better.



This billboard was banned in St. Petersburg on the next day of appearance. Moscow authorities, being less puritan, banned it in about a week. But it was so outrageous and scandalous that in the next months almost all tabloids, weekly and magazines in Russia republished it. Daria got more publicity than no other brand in Russia. It also originated hot discussions on what kind of nudity in ads is a public offense.

As it always happens the trick worked only once. No follower managed to repeat the success of Daria.